Fates End
by Lady Relena
Summary: Shampoo has finally come back to Nerima after being gone for months. Why is she suddenly acting so differently and what will happen if her greatest nightmare comes true?
1. Of Nightmares and Incense

This story will be a mix of both anime and manga events. I do not own Ranma 1/2 or its characters.

It was daybreak in the land of the rising sun. The morning was cold and moist on the serene cliffs of Mt Phoenix. A young girl with beautiful violet hair and sad ruby eyes stood near a cliffs edge, overlooking the land below. She carried with her a gorgeous raku jar that she held closely as if for dear life. While the morning wind lightly blew through her hair, she recalled the events that led her to this place…

Everything had gone so horribly wrong. She had done everything that was expected of her; tried every trick and magic potion that she and her great grandmother could think of; hell, she had even tried murder a number of times, which was probably the straw that broke the camel's back. In the end, everything she did backfired and failed miserably. The one thing she dreaded most in the world had finally come to pass. Ranma and Akane had finally and successfully gotten married. It was a done deal and there was no turning back

She always had her suspicions about Ranma and Akane's feelings toward each other, but after returning to Nerima from the fight with Saffron, she was completely convinced. The memories of Ranma cradling Akane after he had gotten her the cold Jusenkyo water came rushing back. As her beloved screamed Akane's name, she could almost swear she heard him say he loved her.

Even though she and Ukyo had managed to ruin their first wedding attempt, what she had told Mousse that day wasn't a lie: she 'had' always known about it deep down, and it was with that thought that she finally relented to her fate. Ranma and Akane's second wedding went off without a hitch. What was the point of ruining another wedding? No matter how many times she broke them up Ranma would still chose Akane in the end.

Finally feeling a chill coming on, the girl with violet hair decided to sit down and rest by a fire pit. She certainly didn't have anywhere to go. Not anymore. Stripped of her home and Amazon pride, she was an outcast; exiled from her home because of that stupid weakling girl. How could she have lost to someone like Akane? She was a better cook, a better martial artist, a better swimmer, and even better looking: Akane was inferior to her in every way, yet somehow she still held Ranma's heart.

She looked down at the jar in her arms and tightened her embrace around it. It was the only thing she had to hold on to anymore. As bitter tears of hate and rage began to fall freely from her eyes she was suddenly overcome with the agony of her life and screamed.

* * *

Shampoo sprang up from her futon; heart pounding in her chest and cold sweat dripping off her face. She took a moment to compose herself and regulate her breathing back to normal. She suddenly noticed a faint smell in the air; Pine and Gardenia incense. She had lit one of the sticks right before she went to sleep.

The Amazon had received the incense as a gift from an old woman, whose cat was stuck in a tree. The problem seemed so laughably cliché but Shampoo thought twice when the elderly women explained how her cat had been chased up the tree by a dog. She herself had been chased by dogs in her cat form many times and sympathized with the poor animal.

After Shampoo saved the little Tabby, the old woman insisted that she take home some of her special made incense; saying "_These will help you in the future."_ Shampoo was a bit curious as to **'how'** ordinary incense would help her but she was pressed for time and forgot about it as she returned to her deliveries.

Now the old woman's words made sense. These had to be magical incense. Happosai had once used magical incense on Ranma, making his female form split off from his male side. The female Ranma created that night was pure evil and now Shampoo was having evil nightmares from using magical incense as well. The old woman would pay if she ever found her again. But there was also something else nagging at Shampoo. The nightmare had felt strange. It had felt more like a memory she had already experienced; like déjà vu. How could one live something that has never come to pass?

The Amazon had to inform her Great Grandmother of everything. No matter how impractical or irrational it sounded, Shampoo knew her Great Grandmother would know what to do…

Fate's End

Chapter 1

Written by: LadyRelena

Beta reading and editing by: Rewind Gone Nuts

This story starts from volume 36, chapter 8; the day after Nodoka decides to take Ranma home to live with her.

It was a slightly warm and breezy Friday in the quiet streets of Nerima. Even though it didn't seem all that late, the sky was already starting to turn shades of amber and fuchsia. The days didn't seem to last long enough in the month of January. Among some of the few pedestrians still out and about, there walked one pigtailed martial artist; contemplating the events of the day before.

Ranma Saotome now lived with his mother and father in a house he's never been in before. It was new and strange feeling experience, to him. Ranma loved his mother, and he was more than glad to be living with her finally, but a big part of him sincerely missed the Tendos'… and one shorthaired tomboy in particular.

The boy with the thick raven hair sighed, as his thoughts went back to his last argument with Akane. _That stupid Akane; why wasn't she sad about me leaving?_ _"You must be so happy, Ranma. You're going to go live with your mother!"_ Ranma's glum expression turned into an irritated frown at that last thought.

Before he could start any more condescending thoughts about his fiancée, a familiar sounding bell, ringing off in the distance caught his attention. It was the all-too recognizable sound of Shampoo's delivery bicycle. Ranma hasn't seen hide nor hair of the Amazons since the time he had to help stop Mousse from dating that fake statue of Shampoo.

The pigtailed boy also recalled that, sometime after that event, he had gone to Nekohanten for some free ramen. As much as Shampoo annoyed him, there were some perks to being her supposed fiancé.

When Ranma arrived, he found it to be completely deserted with the lights shut off and a simple sign on the door saying [Closed.]

At first, he hoped that they had given up on him and went back to China; if he could only be so lucky. He then did a more thorough inspection of the Nekohanten and peered through their right side window. To his dismay, all of their belongings were still present. He was a bit disappointed but got over it quickly. There was no way they would have gone back to China without him. They were dead set on bring him back as Shampoo's husband. It was apparent that were coming back eventually, but to leave so abruptly seemed out of the ordinary for Cologne and Shampoo. He left shortly afterward, deciding there was nothing else for him to do there.

Ranma had almost forgotten about them over the months past. As he came out of his thoughts, a sudden realization hit him. If Shampoo saw him now, he was going to end up with a front bike tire in his face and a purple haired nuisance glomping onto him. The frantic martial artist looked around worriedly; no bush, no walls, and for some reason, no people, to hide behind. He was a clear target. As she was approaching him there was nothing he could do but wait for the eventual collide.

He waited and waited… and watched as the Shampoo rode right past him. He blinked twice not believing what he had just witnessed. _'Did Shampoo just ignore me?' She couldn't have simply missed me I was right there!'_

Ranma started to feel a bit offended, despite his earlier feeling of annoyance toward her. He **'did'** have his pride to think about after all. How could Shampoo ignore **'him,'** He was Ranma Saotome, her beloved airen? Then it hit him. He suddenly recalled her behavior the time she wore the Contrary Jewel. If she were wearing it again that would explain everything, _'But why would she have it on again?'_

It was too suspicious to be ignored and after a few moments of thought Ranma decided that it was something worth investigating.

The pigtailed boy jumped quietly from rooftop to rooftop, making sure he didn't lose sight of the violet haired Amazon. She seemed to be heading toward the Shakuji Koen Park. The last time he remembered being there was when Ryoga tried to go on a boat ride date with Akane. _'Man, how time flies.'_

As anticipated, he caught up with Shampoo at the park a few minutes later. She was sitting on a bench near the waterfront. Ranma managed to find a tree nearby where he could spy on her. Unfortunately, all he could see was her back and a bunch people walking on the sidewalk in front of her.

Unknown to Ranma, the tree he was hiding in was termite infested. His view of Shampoo kept being obstructed so he decided to move and the shift in weight caused the branch he was standing on to snap off loudly. He plummeted straight to the ground head first. People enjoying the park stopped momentarily to stare at the commotion, but quickly went back to their own business as usual; such things were common in Nerima.

Ranma groaned, as he sat up from his fall. He squeezed his eyes shut as he rubbed the newly formed bump on his head.

"You okay Ranma?"

He looked up to see a pair of wine colored eyes, staring questioningly back at him.

"Oh yeah, that was nothin'." He said with a silly grin. Now it was time to see if she had that jewel on.

Shampoo was wearing a lemon yellow Chinese outfit with black trimming; a short-sleeved shirt with pants that cut off below the knees. He also noticed that she 'was' wearing a jewel, but it wasn't the one though it was. It was a simple gold necklace with a jade pendent on it, an unusually pretty one at that.

"What you doing here?" enquired the purple haired girl. "It's getting late, you know?"

Ranma twisted his brain to quickly come up with an excuse. "Uhh, I thought I saw that jerk Ryoga around here somewhere, but I guess he got lost again."

"I no see pig boy, but if I see him later, Shampoo let Ranma know."

Ranma was glad Shampoo bought his lie. He was also glad that she wasn't wearing the cursed jewel either. She seemed to be in good spirits as usual and nothing looked wrong to him. Perhaps he had been too quick to jump to conclusions. _'Mayby Shampoo really didn't see me after all.'_ Solidifying that to be most likely in his mind, he got up off the ground decided it was best to leave; at least before anything strange **'did**' happen.

"Well, thanks Shampoo," He said, with a wave of his hand, "I should get going. I'll see you around."

"Ranma Wait?"

He turned around. "Yeah?"

"Is it ok if Shampoo talk to Ranma for little while?"

Ranma was reluctant to say the least. He didn't exactly want to be there with Shampoo of all people. "Well it's getten' kinda late and-"

"Please Ranma, Shampoo no keep here for long."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow, being more than a little skeptical about some ulterior motive.

Shampoo gave him the most innocent smile she could muster and put her hand up in assurance.

"Promise."

He thought about it for a second more but finally gave in to her request. They both quietly sat on the bench and watched the sky turn beautiful colors of ruby, cerulean, and magenta. The sun was a blaze with fiery red and golden yellow as it got closer to setting. The sound of the warm draft could be heard clearly as a still silence had befallen the two for a few moments.

Shampoo was the first to finally speak.

"You know, Shampoo never cared about sun set too-too much before, but now it seems so peaceful."

Ranma turned to her looking slightly confused. Shampoo talking about the sunset felt out of character for her.

"Yeah, I guess it is..."

It wasn't like he had never seen a sunset before; he had spent a lot of time on roofs and in trees. He just didn't know what else to say. He had never really talked with Shampoo like this before.

Silence feel over them again as they continued to watch the scenery descend into darkness. Ranma fiddled with his hands, feeling uncomfortable with the awkward calm. He turned to say something but stopped just as he opened his mouth.

Shampoo's amethyst hair ruffled softly in the light gentle wind, while the last rays of golden sunlight lit up her face. She stared vacantly off into the distance with deep melancholy apparent in her features. Ranma had seen many different emotions from Shampoo over a year and a half but 'this' look wasn't anything like the bubbly and devious Amazon he had gotten to know.

He went back to twiddling his thumbs again. Ranma didn't like being in uncharted waters when it came to girls feelings. He wanted to say something, but kept his mouth shut out of his own better judgment. The last thing he wanted was to get pummeled by an angry Shampoo.

As if she could sense his distress, Shampoo turned to him with a small smile. It was time that she got to the point. "Ranma, I ask to talk to you because Shampoo want to a-apoologizze", she said, trying to pronounce the word properly. The Amazon took a moment to compose herself. She was going to attempt speaking proper Japanese; or at least as best as she could. "I'm sorry for all the things I-I've done. I'm sorry for try kill Akane and Spatula Girl and sorry for trying to drug and trick Ranma many time into wedding with Shampoo. I always think it was right thing to do, and so did Great grandmother, but I not think so anymore. Never realize is bad. Shampoo know better now. Just want Ranma to know that."

Ranma's mouth gaped wide open. He had the overwhelming urge to smack himself hard, just to see if he was still in reality. Had hell frozen over? What in Kami's name had made her to act like this?

"Ranma?... Ranma?..." Her beloved hadn't moved a muscle in the last five seconds. Shampoo then started waving a hand in front of his face, but it was frozen. She began to get annoyed after poking his nose a few times and even snapping her fingers in his ears. Here she was, apologizing to him, and he was too busy making faces at her. Finally getting fed up, she blew up a paper bag and popped it in front of his face.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!"

The pigtailed boy sprung twenty feet into the air before landing back on the ground.

"What did you do that for!?"

Shampoo stood up from the bench, glaring at him with arms crossed. "Stupid Ranma make faces at Shampoo and go off to dreamland while Shampoo pour heart out. No think Shampoo is serious."

Ranma threw up his hands in defense. "Hey, hey, look, I'm sorry, okay? You sort'a caught me off guard there."

Shampoo just huffed in response and turned her back to him.

Ranma finally realized he was being a jerk and calmly put a hand on her shoulder. "Look, really, I'm sorry. I really **'did'** take your apology seriously. Honest"

The last word he spoke was quiet but felt sincere. Shampoo forgave him and turned back to face him. "I'm glad Ranma believe Shampoo."

It suddenly became dark in an instant. The two stopped for a moment and turned toward the lake horizon. The sun had finally gone down over the water's edge.

Shampoo turned back to her pigtailed airen, who was still gazing over the water and smiled at him.

"Thank you Ranma."

He turned to her perplexed. "For what?"

She beamed a sweet genuine smile and answered, "For talking to Shampoo and believing that I truly sorry for what I did. Was also nice watching sun set with you."

He gulped hard and took a step back as he felt his face slightly heat up.

'_Is she actually being c-cute!?'_

Ranma quickly squashed that thought as he inwardly kicked himself for being such an idiot.

"S-Sure thing." He managed staggered out

Shampoo wanted so badly to cling to her beloved, but resisted the urge to do so. Instead she simply said goodbye and walked toward her bike.

When she finally rode out of sight, Ranma remained standing by the park bench and tried to contemplate what the hell had just happened.


	2. Chapter 2

"Akane's coming?" Ranma asked his mother while he ate lunch with his panda father.

Hanging up the telephone receiver she replied " Yes, that was what Kasumi who just phoned. She said Akane was already on her way over. "

"Oh, I see."

The pigtailed boy sat, musing in his thoughts with a confident grin. _'That Akane, I knew it wouldn't be long before she caved.'_

Nodoka smiled at her son as she heard a knock at the door. "Ranma, I think she's here…"

"Oh? How nice…"

He tried looking as disinterested as possible, but, in truth, he was incredibly anxious to see her again and happily started running to greet her. Before he managed to get to the door, it suddenly flew open with a flurry of black rose petals and an unholy cackle from one Kodachi Kuno. The martial artist fell to the floor with alarm as the crazy leotard girl walked toward him.

"What the hell? Kodachi!" Ranma's head shot up.

She smiled at him seductively. "I heard the news, Ranma darling! You were kicked out by Akane Tendo."

The mere notion of being kicked out by that tomboy was completely insulting and humiliating. "Don't be ridiculous! I told her to get lost!"

Felling someone approaching from behind, Kodachi stopped her advances on the martial artist. "Oh, Akane Tendo?"

As if on cue, Ranma went on the immediate defense and through his hands in front of his face. "A-Akane? This isn't what it looks like…!"

"Hey Ranchan!"

To Ranma's relief, and slight dismay, it was only his childhood friend Ukyo. She happily waltzed through the open door with a package of fresh Okonomiyaki.

The black clad gymnast put a hand to her mouth, an expression of realization on her face. "Oh. It's not Akane. I had thought it was…"

Ranma finally got off the floor as the two girls whizzed past him to greet his mother. As he straightened out his shirt, he noticed Shampoo standing in the doorway. The violet haired girl was dressed in a white Chinese shirt with long sleeves and matching white pants that were cut below the knees. She was carrying a takeout box of ramen in one hand, and a bouquet of flowers in the other. The Amazon gave her beloved a rather weary smile as she slightly cocked her head to the side.

"Nihao, Ranma."

He scratched his head and greeted her. "Hey Shampoo, what's up?"

"I heard about what happen. You found mother and live with her now. I was happy, so I came over to c-coongraaduulate you and meet nice mother. Is okay, yes?"

He couldn't help but be a little taken aback that she was actually being polite and asking permission for something. "Uhh… sure."

As Ranma led the Amazon girl through the house, his thoughts went back to their encounter two days ago. He really didn't know what to think of Shampoo at this point. She used to have a certain place in his mind; she was devious, conniving, annoying, scheming, and sometimes ruthless. But now she seemed… different, and maybe even… sad. She was also trying really hard to speak fluent Japanese these days. Something had to have happened to make her change so drastically. He made a mental note to talk to her about it sometime.

Shampoo walked in the living room to find Ukyo and Kodachi sitting at a tiny dining room table on the floor. She inwardly cursed at the situation before her. The Amazon girl didn't mind Ukyo too much. Sure, she was a rival for Ranma and they fought quite often over him, but the chef was at least tolerable when they had joined forces and she was almost at level with her in martial arts skill. Kodachi, on the other hand, was pain in the you-know-where. That pompous rich girl attitude, and her foul laugh, was utterly intolerable. Shampoo had been feeling under the weather since this morning, and just looking at the psycho made her head start to pound harder.

The young woman ignored the two girls and walked toward the lady of the house. Ranma's mother was gorgeous. She wore a vibrant indigo Kimono, with a full body apron covering most of it. Her eyes were the color of burnt umber and her hair was a deep burgundy with glossy amaranth highlights. She must be the reason why Ranma was so handsome.

The Amazon quietly sat down in front of the beautiful woman on the floor, and bowed her head. "Hello, my name is Shanpû, but can also call me Shampoo. Is nice to finally meet Ranma's mother."

Nodoka put her hand up to her bottom lip in surprised delight. "Oh, what a lovely name, are you from mainland China?"

"Yes, I come from Joketsuzoku. Is tribe of woman fighters in China."

Nodoka was intrigued that such a place existed for woman. Shampoo then pulled out the huge bouquet she had been carrying, and handed it to Nodoka.

"This is for you."

"Oh my, blue roses! Real ones!" Nodoka was ecstatic about new and rare flowers. "They're so beautiful! How did you come by these?"

"Shanpû cultivate over many generations. This special flower used for special occasion. Would you like the seeds for flowers?"

"I would love such a rare rose in my garden, thank you so much dear!"

Shampoo bowed her head again and turned around to face the table. She felt her head slightly spinning but quickly dismissed it. She was in the midst of much more important things at the moment. As she put her ramen box down next to her beloved, she found two very jealous girls glaring at her, and one bewildered Ranma staring in confusion. The Amazon would have glared back but she didn't have the energy. So she simply gave them a dry stare as their combined expressions could only be summed up as idiotic.

While the teenagers kept eying each other up, Nodoka had gone into the kitchen and come back moments later with four ice filled glasses and a pitcher of pink grapefruit juice. She was simply glowing with pride at having such a manly son. Only a man among men could have so many cute girls as friends.

Kodachi, in an attempted to outshine Shampoo, sprung to Nodoka's side, while Ukyo proceeded to hand feed Okonomiyaki to her fiance.

For a split second, Shampoo thought she heard someone at the front door yell 'hello', but quickly dismissed it, hearing nothing else afterward. The throbbing in her head felt worse with every minute that went by, and she sincerely hoped that she wasn't starting to hear things.

Her tired gaze shifted from the table to her beloved fiancee, and for the first time since she had arrived, she noticed the annoyance that was evident in his features. The ruby eyes Amazon took a moment and curiously wondered why she hadn't' seen it before.

"Why are you guys here at a time like this?" Ranma barked.

Ukyo, was oblivious to his irritation and couldn't understand why he wasn't eating her special deluxe Okonomiyaki; it was his favorite dish after all.

"What do you mean, Ranchan? What kind of time is this?"

He suddenly tilted his face down, looking like a guilty child who was hiding a secret. "Never mind."

Nodoka got up from the floor and glanced at her wall clock. "Oh dear, Akane seems to be late..."

'_Oh great__;__ so Akane is coming too.'_ she thought sarcastically. By now the Amazon's body tempter had gotten exceedingly high and her mouth was like a desert.

*Crash!*

The clash of breaking glass stunned Shampoo out of her thoughts and before she could react the sound of a thud rang through her skull before she blacked out.

Everyone stopped what they were doing as they eyed a cement block lodged in the Amazon's head. Somehow it had Ranma's clothing neatly folded and tied to it with twine .

"Call it a hunch, mom, but I think Akane left already." The martial artist knew only a certain jealous tomboy could be so sloppy as to miss his head.

Removing the huge block from her head, he firmly grabbed the girl's shoulders and gently shook her. "Hey, Shampoo, are you okay?" There was no answer. He shook her again, "Shampoo, are you okay?" The Amazon still remained motionless on the table. After a few moments Ukyo began poking at her lifeless arms.

"Hey Ranchan, Maybe Akane killed her."

The pigtailed boy gave his childhood friend a smug smile. "Akane kill Shampoo? That'll be the day.."

Nodoka had seen enough and walked over to her son with an expression of great concern.

"Ranma, is she alright?"

The pigtailed boy gently pulled the unconscious girl back from the table, cradling her in his arms. She was hot to the touch; too hot.

"She's burning up Mom. I think she might be sick."

His mother instinctively bent down and felt her forehead; he was right. "She has a fever; take her into the guest room while I get some tea running."

Ranma did as his mother asked and carried Shampoo to their guest room. Nodoka then turned to the two remaining girls before running off to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry girls, it looks like your friend might have a high fever, but don't worry, we'll take good care of her. Please make sure to visit us soon."

The two girls were livid; that Chinese hussy was no friend of theirs and they were going to make sure she knew it. Thankfully, a giant pair of fuzzy black arms grabbed the two girls and punted them into lower earth orbit just in time. Genma knew they were going to cause trouble eventually and he would see hell before they destroyed something he 'actually' had to pay for. He was just glad that they were distracted. He would have never gotten the drop on them otherwise.

Nodoka looked perplexed at her panda husband. "Genma, was that really necessary?"

The panda simply held up a sign. [Yes]

* * *

Shampoo came back into consciousness and a wave of pain jolted through her head. Her body felt like a furnace and beads of salty sweat covered her from head to toe. She was in a futon on the floor. Something cold was on her forehead and her body was being covered by a heavy blanket.

The Amazon stared at the unfamiliar ceiling and hanging lamp above her. Not recognizing it she proceeded to scan the room from her vantage point. It had tatami mats that lay on top of a lightly, polished wooden floor. The walls were covered in eggshell-white wallpaper that was embossed with paint splatter. The walls were trimmed with the same wood as the floor, which framed the door, window, and wall corners. There were a few pictures that hung in the seemingly plain room. One of the images was a graceful tiger stalking through long water reeds; it was done in detailed watercolor on thin rice paper. On a different wall, there hung a large scroll with the Japanese kanji of Meiyo (Honor) inscribed in thick black ink. The last picture in the room was that of a gorgeous silk tapestry that hung next to the only existing window. It was a stunning scene of endless Sakura trees, and what she guessed was Mount Fuji looming in the background.

It was a mystery to who's room she was in, but wherever she was, it was evident that someone was trying to take care of her. But why was her body tempter so unbearably hot? The answer suddenly hit her as she recalled a warning from her great Grandmother...

"_This special technique requires an extreme amount of training in high tempters. Dehydration to your body is inevitable at some point, so make sure to take this tea recipe with you." _

_Shampoo took the scroll and gave it a quick look over as the elder woman explained further._

"_It's a special blend of herbs and roots that helps you to both gain and retain moisture as you train." Cologne paused for a minuet and regarded her great granddaughter seriously. _

"_Remember Shampoo, this technique is very deadly and few __Amazons__ have ever mastered it though out the ages. Be careful..."_

The Amazon mentally kicked herself. She 'had' felt dehydrated during her training but it was never to this extreme. She also had a limited amount of ingredients and didn't want to use it unless it felt absolutely necessary. She inwardly sighed realizing that this was an obvious case of delayed reaction.

Shampoo was brought out of her thoughts as a shuffling noise caught her attention. She turned her head toward the doorway, to see a big fat panda face eyeing her suspiciously. She gritted her teeth and glared back at him. No doubtlessly he thought she was faking her illness as some kind of ploy to break up Ranma and Akane. _'If only that were true...'_

"Genma, what are you doing by the door?"

The gluttonous furball scrambled away as Nodoka came into focus. The kimono clad woman walked in the room with a steaming kettle of fresh Green tea. "Oh, you're finally awake; I was getting a little worried- it feels like an oven in here."

Shampoo politely smiled as Ranma's mother sat down on the floor to her left. The Saotome women elegantly poured a fresh cup of tea and held it out for guest. The Amazon slowly and carefully sat up from her bed, accepted the cup of tea with a slight bow, and drank all of its contents.

"Ranma's mother is very kind woman. Shampoo doesn't know how to thank."

"It's no problem at all dear. After all, you have a very high fever, and that brick seemed to have come out of nowhere".

Shampoo blinked a few times. "Brick…?"

"Yes, a huge cement block flew through my porch and hit you in the head. It also had my son's clothing tied to it, for some odd reason. Perhaps someone was trying to return them."

The cup in Shampoo's hand crumbled into a million pieces as she seethed with anger. She knew 'exactly' who it was. _'That stupid Akane! How dare she! She'll pay for that!'_

The sudden flow of adrenalin caused Shampoo to recoil, as the pounding in her head became infinitely worst. She instinctively placed both hands on her forehead, attempting to soothe the hammering in her skull.

"Oh dear, did it cut you!"

Shampoo quickly put her hands back down to her sides. "Oh no, head just hurt a little bit."

"Well, don't worry, it looks like that cup was cracked. It's a good thing I brought two." She poured tea in the second cup and handed it to the sick girl. "Here, drink more; it will help you get better."

The ruby eyed Amazon accepted the second offering and quickly gulped down. She then set the cup back on the tray with another slight bow.

"Thank you again, Miss Saotome."

"It's quite alright, but you should lay down now and get some rest." She said, smiling softly.

As Shampoo laid her head back on the soft futon, she suddenly realized that she hadn't seen Ranma since she had awoken and casually asked the Saotome woman of his whereabouts.

"I sent Ranma on some errands for me a while ago. I told him to pick up some more tea, since I'm currently running out. He also said that he was going to stop by your restaurant and talk to your great grandmother."

The Chinese girl paused a moment before uttering a small "Oh..."

"By the way", Nodoka continued. "I was wondering how you and the other girls came to know my son."

Shampoo suddenly heard the faint whimper of one Genma Saotome and her mouth broke into a small, devious grin. She had a suspicion that he was listening to their conversation and now it was confirmed. Nodoka was going to hear everything she had to say.

"Shampoo be more than happy to tell you everything…"

* * *

The air was getting cool now that the sun was setting over Nerima. A boy with thick raven hair and a pigtail carried two small paper bags filled with the herbal tea his mother had requested. He heaved a breath of relief now that he was finally home. Running into Ukyo and Kodachi at the same time could wear a guy out, especially if your name happened to be Ranma Saotome. If it weren't for the fact that they started fighting amongst themselves, he probably wouldn't have gotten away so easily. It was a Sunday evening for crying out loud. Didn't they ever take a break from the fiancee stuff?

Sighing from irritation, Ranma slid the door open and just narrowly dodged a flying katana. It had been mere inches from cutting his left ear off completely.

"W-w-what's going on!"

Nodoka placed a hand on her left cheek, looking innocent. "Oh, I'm sorry dear; I thought you were your father. Have you seen him by any chance? I need to have a word with him."

He stammered. "N-no I haven't s-seen him"

"Actually, I need to talk to you too." Nodoka stated, pulling her katana out from the wall and putting it back in it's sheath.

Ranma was slightly relieved that the katana was away, but it could just as easily come back out if he didn't watch what he said.

"Ranma, my son, why didn't you ever tell me about your other engagements, or that terrible Cat Fist training of your fathers?"

He was taken aback for a moment. It was certainly an unexpected question but at least he could relax now, knowing that she was was just worried about him. He realized then, that she must have had a nice long talk with Shampoo while he was gone.

The truth was that he had never really thought about it before. He was just so happy to finally be with his mother, that those problems completely slipped his mind.

"I'm sorry mom. I'd forgotten about the Cat Fist training for a while now. It's been kinda long since I used it, and the fiancee thing didn't seem like a big deal.

"Oh, Ranma! What has my lout of a husband done to you!" Nodoka grabbed a tissue and started wiping her tears in a classic display of motherly dramatics.

He sweat drooped from utter embarrassment but tried to look concerned. "Really it's okay mom..." He needed to change the subject quickly before she cried a river.

"So mom, how is Shampoo doing? Is she better now?"

It had worked.

"Oh, I'm afraid not much; her fever is still very high. I just checked her temperature before I came out here. Poor girl; I'm surprised she could even talk to me without passing out. Oh, and by the way, did you get to speak to her great grandmother?"

Ranma looked at her with a slightly worried expression. "About that, I don't know what's goinn' on but the restaurant's empty and there is a "Sale" sign on their door."

Now it was Nodoka who was worried. "Oh dear! But then where does she live?"

"I don't know. I think I should talk to her."

"Alright, I'm going to keep looking for your father. Please make sure not to upset her. She's very ill."

"Okay, I'll try."

The pigtailed boy watched his mother cautiously as she walked away. He was glad it was his father on her bad side, and not him.

Ranma casually took his shoes off and walked to the guest room. He cursed his luck when he found Shampoo's cocooned form already asleep. Her long violet hair was sprawled out over the pillow and onto the floor. Her skin was as pale as a porcelain china doll, and an ice pack wrapped in a washcloth was causing steam to rise from her forehead. It was just like when he had caught Happosai's cold.

Seeing Shampoo in this manner felt unsettling somehow. In all the time he had known her, she had never gotten sick; not even once.

Ending his thoughts, Ranma turned off the light and left. He needed to make himself dinner, since his mom was off somewhere, and he had to prepare for school tomorrow. He would never admit it to himself but he was actually happy that he was going to see Akane again.

Time seemed to stand still whenever Miss Hinako gave one of her English lectures. Usually Ranma would be napping around this time of the day, but he couldn't help but notice how a certain uncute tomboy was avoiding him this morning. He kept periodically glancing over at her, but all she did was turn away and ignore him. _'Great, __what's__ her problem this time?'_

The bell finally rang for lunch, and since it was a particularly nice day, most of the students went to eat outside on the school lawn.

Just before Akane got up from her set, her jerk of a fiancee went and block her exit.

"Hey Akane. What's happenin?" He said with a smile.

"Humph." The short-haired girl abruptly turned her head away from his gaze. _'How could he act as if nothing happened?'_

Her rude reaction didn't go unnoticed as he started to become irritated. "Hey, whats wrong with you?"

"Nothing you would know about I guess." she snidely remarked as she got up from her set and pushed past him.

Ranma followed after her as she stomped down the school hallway. "Aaa, come on Akane, what did I do this time?"

"Don't pretend like you don't remember about yesterday..." She shot back at him.

At least he knew what set her off now. "What 'about' yesterday? It's not like I invited them or anything."

"Oh yeah, then why is Shampoo still there!"

Ranma blinked a few times "How did you know about that?"

"Gee it's not like the whole school has been talking about it or anything." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

Somehow Ranma knew right then and there that Nabiki had something to do with it.

"So, you and Shampoo are a couple now Ranma!" she yelled.

That was it; he was fed up with Akane's insinuations. "Hey look, my mom let Shampoo stay in the guest room because she's sick, alright!"

"Ha, you expect me to believe that!"

"Hey, are you two arguing again?"

The couple momentarily stopped their fighting to see Ukyo Kuonji standing in front of them. The chef, along with the rest of the student body, could hear their bickering from a mile away. She knew a fight between them meant a chance for her to intervene and get closer to her Ranchan. She liked to strike while the iron was still hot.

The martial artist casually addressed his old friend. "Oh, hey Ucchan. How's it goinn'?"

"Did you two hear that the Neko Hanten is for sale?" The spatula wielding girl was so overjoyed the she practically had sparkles in her eyes.

"It is?" Akane blinked in surprise. _'Perhaps Ranma really 'was' telling the truth. But that certainly doesn't excuse him. Shampoo is still under the same roof as him. Who knows what kind of perverted things they're doing. And who knows if she's really sick to begin with.'_

"That's right!" Ukyo continued. "And I was thinking about maybe buying it. It's a great location and I think Konatasu could handle running a restaurant under me. What do you guys think?"

"Isn't that expensive?" Akane inquired.

"I've gotten lots of money saved up since I've been here, plus the Neko Hanten is selling for really cheap. I guess that old ghoul just wants to get rid of it."

The short-haired girl thought for a moment and then noticed a slight missing detail.

"But didn't Shampoo and Cologne live there? If they're selling it, then where do they live now?"

Ukyo shrugged. "Who knows... All I know is that I have practically no competition now. Right Ranchan...?"

Akane seethed with anger. "And just what is that suppose to mean!"

Ranma gulped hard. He could feel Akane's aura getting bigger by the second. A potential beating seemed imminent unless he got the hell out of there. Thinking on his feet, the perfect scapegoat seemed to present itself just in the nick of time.

"Oh look, it's Hiroshi and Daisuke. Hey wait up you guys!

Luck was on his side for once as he sprinted into the crowd of students, leaving two aggravated fiancees yelling after him.

Eating lunch with Hiroshi and Daisuke turned out to be a dumb idea. All they did was laugh at his circumstances and complain about how they wished to have his girl problems. Some friends they were, but it was better than getting a ride on Akane Air.

The rest of the school day went along boring as usual, and Akane went back to averting her gaze from her pigtailed fiancee. He sat and mused about how long she was going to be angry with him this time.

Class was finally over, and Ranma trotted over to Akane's desk, hoping to patch things up again. Unfortunately, she had made plans with Yuka and Sayuri during lunch. Something about a girls night out.

Well, the martial artist had had enough of Akane's attitude. If she was going to be 'that way' then it was fine by him. _'And to think I was actually going to try and be nice to that stupid, uncute, tomboy.'_

He decided to head home, still feeling annoyed about Akane's disposition. At least he had his mom's dinner to look forward too.

* * *

Nodoka stood in her kitchen with an assorted amount of vegetables, chicken, bread, and dairy products placed around the tile counter top. With her apron and handkerchief firmly tied she opened an American styled cookbook and made sure she had all the right ingredients before she started cooking them. She was originally going to make Japanese Curry but tonight, she decided to cook something different. The dish was Chicken Alfredo with garlic bread and salad. She had read it was a delicious and she hoped that a warm chicken meal would help her ill house guest feel better.

Nodoka heard the front door slide open and she walked out of the kitchen to great her son.

"Welcome home Ranma. How was your day at school?"

He shrugged, and put down his book bag. "Same as usual." He stated simply, as he walked with his mother back into the kitchen.

"Oh, dear, did you and Akane-chan have a fight?"

Ranma stared blankly at his mother. How was it that whenever he and Akane had a fight, everyone in the world seemed to know about it. Was it written on his face or something?

"Yeah, but it was nothing." He shruged his shoulders again, reluctant to discuss it any further. He honestly didn't feel like going into a long explanation.

The woman looked sympathetically at her son and decided not to press him any further. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that dear."

The pigtailed boy desperately needed a subject change "So, uhh... how's Shampoo doing Mom?"

His mother brightened up again as she began boiling the white sauce for the Alfredo . "She's doing a little bit better then yesterday. She actually got out of bed and did a few stretches. She said that she didn't want to end up weak and out of shape. She's such a dedicated girl, isn't she?"

The martial artist sweat dropped. _'Dedicated is not the word; more like 'obsessed.' Well... until recently anyway'._

"She also told me about her living situation," his mother continued. "She works for a Dr. Ono Tofu. She had me call him this morning after you left and he came right over to check up on her. He even brought over some kind of special tea recipe.

Now there was a name he hadn't heard in a long while.

"He said that he recently gave her a place to stay in exchange for her work there. He even offered to take her back to his clinic, but I told him she was no trouble at all. That Doctor is such a nice man."

"Wait, how come you didn't let her go with the Doc?"

The Saotome woman stopped string the sauce and gave her son a cross look.

"Now Ranma; what kind of person would I be if I didn't take care of someone who got sick in my home? That's not honorable."

"Okay okay, I'm sorry." The martial artist waved his hands in defence.

He didn't think it was such a good idea for Shampoo to be staying in his house, for a number of obvious reasons, but once his mother started talking about 'honor', that was it. At least the part about Shampoo working for Dr. Tofu made sense, since she had done it before, but it still didn't explain what happened to Mousse or her great grandmother.

"So did Shampoo say why her place is for sale?"

Nodoka put a hand up to her mouth. "Oh, I had forgotten to ask."

Ranma, waved his hand passively."It's okay mom, I'll just ask her later."

"Actually, she might be up watching TV now. I had put the TV in her room earlier today so she wouldn't be bored."

Ranma perked up at that. Now he could finally get some answers.

"Thanks mom."

He turned and headed toward the kitchen door when, he suddenly remembered something... or rather, someone.

"By the way, where's Pop been?"

His mother turned around from her stove and flashing a disturbingly innocent smile. "We had a little talk last night, and he thought it best he go and look for a job today. Isn't that wonderful?"

He stared at her in shock. He didn't know whether to be impressed or terrified."Yeah, mom... Sounds great ..."

In the guest room, the sound of flipping TV channels could be heard. Shampoo stopped when she saw an advertisement for an adventure game called Secret of Mana 2. She preferred fighting games like Street Fighter but she also had a healthy interest in role-playing games as well. It was a good thing she already bought a brand new Super Nintendo System a while back.

"Hey Shampoo." Ranma greeted her cautiously, as he quietly walked toward her.

Shampoo put down the TV remote and gave him a bubbly but weary smile. "Nihao Ranma."

He noticed that she was still quite pale but definitely in better spirits than yesterday.

"Hey Shampoo, can I ask you somethin'?"

She looked at her beloved with loving eyes. _'Maybe he's come to ask how I'm doing?'_

"Yes Ranma...?"

"Well, I was just wonderin' - since you work for Dr. Tofu now - where did the old ghoul and Mousse go? And how come you aren't with them?"

Her smile immediately turned into an angry scowl. She seethed with anger, through her wine colored eyes and...

*Clang!*

Before the pigtailed boy could say another word, he felt the crushing pain of a large metal chúi on his head.

"Owww! What the heck Shampoo! What the heck did 'I' do!"

"You stupid Ranma! You are supposed ask how Shampoo is doing, not ask about stupid Mousse and Great Grandmother!"

A knock on the door distracted her before she could finish tearing Ranma's head off. Nodoka was carrying a tray with three different plates on it and Shampoo's special tea. She looked at the two teenagers with a warm smile. _'Teenagers are so full of energy.'_

"Your dinner is ready Shanpū chan."

The Amazon ignored the martial artist and thanked Nodoka for the wonderful dinner.

* * *

Genma came home soon after that and Nodoka insisted that they eat together.

"So Genma dear - how was your Job search today?" The Saotome women had an eery cheerfulness in her voice.

A confident smirk came over the bald man's face as he grabbed the rim of his glasses.

"Well, I just may have found something."

Ranma turned to his father with his mouth full of food. _'This is too good to be true. He probably got a job as a thief for hire or somethin.'_

Genma raised an eyebrow in Ranma's direction as his suspicious ogling didn't go unnoticed. "What's that look for? You don't think your own father can get a legitimate job?"

"Hah! Not in a million years, old man."

Genma smirked again. "What if I told you that I got a job helping with demolitions?"

"Yeah right Pops. You haven't had a job since you worked for Dr. Tofu that one time."

"Nodoka looked surprised at her husband. "Genma, you worked for too?"

"Well, yes but how do you-"

"He came over today and helped take a look at Shampoo."

The half panda man frowned at hearing her name. "That girl is still here? Nodoka, the boy shouldn't be fraternizing with other women. He's engaged to Akane."

Ranma stood up from the table in his defence. "Who's fraternizing! And who said I was going to marry that tomboy anyway!" He yelled.

"Now both of you stop it! I will not have fighting at the dinner table!"

Both men glared at each other but proceeded to sit back down.

"Now dear, about that job...?"

Genma's face morphed into a huge grin as the light gleamed off his glasses. "Well, family, take a look at this!" He grabbed a peace of paper from his inner gi pocket and slammed it on the small table.

Both Ranma and his mother read over the contents on the paper.

"Genma! This is a signed application!" Nodoka said joyously. "You really did it! I'm so proud of you!"

"See that boy, maybe you should take some responsibility and get job."

"It says here that you're only working part time." He retorted.

"At least I have a job you ungrateful brat."

"Whatever. You'll probably be fired in a week for stealin' everyone lunches."

A sly grin suddenly appeared on Genma's face. "Maybe you need to quite whining like a jealous little girl."

"What was that!" That certainly pushed the wrong button. Nobody called him a girl and got away with it.

"I said stop it right now!"

The two men halted at the sight of Nodoka unsheathing her katana. They both gulped in fear and quietly went back to eating again.

"That's much better." Said the kimono-clad woman as she sheathed her sward and placed it next to her on the floor. As she was about to go back to eating her salad, she noticed a small lump on her son's head and recalled his little spat with Shampoo.

"Ranma, did you upset Shanpū chan?"

He groaned unhappily averting his eyes toward his food. "It's a long story."

"I hope you apologize to her. She's very ill you know."

Ranma wanted to protest but he thought it better to just relent to his mother's wishes. Besides... He 'did' feel a little badly about it.

Genma frowned again hearing about Shampoo. He hated her being in the house; the longer she stayed around his son the more she could poison him against marrying Akane.

His fathers scowling face didn't go unnoticed by the martial artist. "What's the matter Pop? Afraid she's goinna' get the drop on you or somethin'." The pig-tailed boy taunted.

Genma smiled smugly in return to his son's smart mouth. "We'll see who gets the drop on who after dinner boy. You've been asking for it all night."

* * *

Back in the guest room, Shampoo was enjoying her American styled meal immensely. She had never had American food before. Unfortunately her enjoyment was bittersweet as her mind kept wandering back to moments ago.

It wasn't the first time Ranma had said something thoughtless or rude to her, but it was the first time she felt this badly about it. He obviously cared more about the whereabouts of her Great grandmother then how she had been feeling. If that wasn't enough, the idiot even seemed to insinuate that he didn't want her there. _'Had he always been this insensitive or am I just being __oversensitive__?'_

She took a sip of water, and continued her contemplations. She had only been there a day and a half, but she really didn't want to overstay her welcome with Ranma's mother. She had been so nice to her when she didn't have to be. _'She could have told me to leave with Dr Tofu, but she insisted that I say instead.'_ It still surprised her that a woman like Nodoka could have married a fat jerk like Genma. But, then again, she couldn't understand why Ranma… No. She wasn't going to let depressing thoughts cloud her mind now.

A half hour later, the Amazon finished her dinner and found herself laying on her futon; staring at the ceiling above. She was again lost in her thoughts. Being sick gave her lots of time to herself and lots of time to think about things she wouldn't have normally. She recalled that horrible dream; no; that nightmare she had months ago; the one where Akane and Ranma had gotten married. She instinctively grimaced at the thought.

A handsome face suddenly obstructed her line of vision to the ceiling. Her pigtailed beloved peered down at her from where he crouched above her head. Two questions went though her mind at that moment - When did he get there and how did he get in without her hearing it? It wasn't easy for a person to sneak up on her and that included Ranma.

"What are you thinkn' about?" He asked innocently.

She addressed him with a look of annoyance. "What Ranma care what Shampoo is doing. You only care about Mousse and Great Grandmother." She turned to her side and pulled the covers over her head.

"Comon Shampoo, I'm sorry."

I no believe you." The Amazon shot back from under her blanket. "Ranma don't even know what sorry for."

Ranma eyebrows creased together in exasperation. _'Why doesn't anyone ever believe me?'_ "Look, I didn't know that was going ta make you mad. I just wanted to know why they left. I swear. Hey listen... I...uhh...I'm...um..." The martial artist started to fumble his words while twiddling his thumbs nervously. It wasn't everyday that he had to apologise to 'Shampoo' of all people and it was turning out to be quite embarrassing.

"Look, I'm sorry that I didn't ask how you were doin' okay."

Shampoo lifted her blanket back just enough for her eyes to peer at her fiance. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor next to her futon. His eyes quickly shifted up and away from her as a blush of embarrassment formed on his cheeks.

"You forgive me yet?" He spoke in a quiet voice.

She slightly smiled under her covers and her anger suddenly melted away. "Okay Ranma, Shampoo believe you."

Ranma heaved a sigh of relief and got up from the floor. That had gone smother then he thought.

"Well, I'm gonna' spar with Pop's for a while before I hit the sack, so I'll see ya tomorrow."

"Ranma..." She called after him in a quiet tone. "Shampoo is sorry too... I tell you about great grandmother and Mousse tomorrow okay?"

This was the second unexpected apology he had received from her in the last three days. Even thought he appreciated it, it also felt unnerving somehow. In a deep dark corner of his mind he kept wounding if this was all some kind of elaborate plan of Cologne's. He knew that Shampoo didn't always act like a crazy obsessive Amazon, but he wasn't used to her being so.. so...'nice'. It's like she came back from a China a completely different person.

"Uhh... Yeah Okay. Good night Shampoo.

Shampoo beamed a warm smile his way "Good night Ranma."

* * *

Authors Notes: Just a few things you should know about this chapter.

1) Why is Ranma such a jerk to Shampoo?

Well, after watching so many anime episodes and reading the manga. I've come to the conclusion that Ranma is very rude and snide to Shampoo. Some of it is obviously deserved but I find that a lot of his rudeness comes out at the most unwarranted times. A good example is in the episode "Two, Too Violent Girls: Ling-Ling & Lung-Lung." And the Pink and Link arc in volume 29. I would go more into depth but I might be spoiling future chapters where these will be referred to. Overall, I don't think Ranma thinks to highly of Shampoo, even when she's doing something good or isn't doing anything bad enough to warrant his disrespect.

2) Why does Shampoo like Super Nintendo games?

In volume 33, there is a chapter called "Two Shampoos," in which Mousse dates a statue that looks like her. In this arc, there is a small panel where Akane tells Shampoo "If Mousse keeps dating the statue, he might die." and Shampoo responds by by going into her room and playing video games. From the looks of it, she's playing some SNES fighting game.

3) What makes you think Nodoka likes gardening and cooking?

Nodoka is well known for being a very traditional Japanese woman, and as such, it's perfectly within her character to do hobbies like cooking, Ikebana, tea ceremony, and so on.

4) It's weird that Akane made plans with Yuka and Sayuri when she's always with Ranma

Actually, in the manga Akane is seen hanging out with them a few times outside of school, although it's usually only for a short, one or two, panels. Also in the OVA "The One to Carry On" Akane states that she doesn't want to help fight the food thief's because she had already made plans with her friends.


End file.
